O’hana

When I was looking into flights from Colombia to Australia, I was dismayed to discover they were insanely expensive. Realizing most of them had layovers in Hawaii, I investigated the cost of buying the legs of the journey separately. Initially I saved over seven hundred dollars…initially.

I’ve got a bit of o’hana in Hawaii that I hadn’t seen in five years and they were kind enough to take me into their home, feed, and love me. The stop in Hawaii had been planned since before I was robbed in Costa Rica. It took me about five minutes with Jan and Dan to realize that two days wasn’t nearly enough time.

Firstly, I had a lot I needed to take care of/replace while in Hawaii. Secondly, I needed a real break from constantly changing locations. Thirdly, I missed them and wanted more than a quick hi-bye. Expecting the costs to be astronomical, I secretly (well Jan knew about it) looked into changing my flights. Astonishingly, Jeststar only charged a sixty-five-dollar change fee and then of course cost difference in the two flights. So, for a couple hundred dollars I switched my flight to a week later. It was one of the most prudent decisions I’ve ever made.

As this was my sixth time in the Hawaiian islands; I didn’t feel the need to rush about and be a tourist. Instead I spent my time catching up with Jan and Dan: morning and evening walks, food, ice cream, attending events, meeting their friends, more food, and more ice cream.

Jan and I had our alone time shopping and walking around the neighborhood. Then Dan and I took a trip to the beach where we had lunch and waited out the rain under a shelter. When the storm had passed, we headed into the turquoise waters in a kayak. At night we watched TV or movies and ate…ice cream.

It felt like being at home. In fact, I was home.

On my last day on the island I met up with a couple friends from Big Bear. They took me to Nu’uanu Pali, a cliff overlooking the west side of the island. Long ago King Kamehameha fought a battle there as he attempted to unite the islands. Then we went to lay on the beach and watch the waves. The sun remained concealed behind the clouds and a dusky breeze blew around us. After a quick bite, we said our goodbyes and agreed to go on several hikes the next time I was on Oahu.

Saying goodbye to Jan and Dan was difficult. It was the dose of home I needed before heading south, but that didn’t mean I was ready to give it up. Words are insufficient when attempting to describe how grateful I am to them, for the time that we spent together, and for all that they did for me.